Heart of the Heroine
by ShanaAlvarado29
Summary: Once the titles are pushed away and the world is safe, Yami Mutou is your typical high school senior. She has difficulties with bullies, endless challenges from a nuisance rival, and must deal with the annoyances of the upcoming Winter Formal. When Kaiba Seto is nominated for Snow King and he drags Yami into the mix, Kaiba discovers some strange feelings for Yami. Fem!Yami


**Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of the characters from the anime. I own the plot.**

**Warning! This oneshot has Fem!Yami, and Yaoi undertones. If you don't like these things, then don't read.**

**A/N: This is a slightly revised version of my original oneshot, with an alternate ending and some tweaks in the middle to make things more understandable and slightly less cliche. I have been told that some characters seem a bit OOC, and I'll bet Yami is one of them, but let me take a moment to remind everyone that Yami is a teenaged girl in this fanfic, and so that does explain some of her mood swings a bit in the story. Females do have a tendency to be a bit more emotional than men. Anyway, so yeah. If you've already read the original, you are more than welcome to read it again, see if you can pick up the changes. Review please and let me know what you think. Thanks! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Heart of a Heroine**

"She's a total bombshell." Joey exclaimed excitedly as he practically trembled in his seat, "She's probably the most gorgeous babe I've ever seen and she said "yes". Can you believe it?"

"Nope." Tristan replied with a snide grin, "I have a hard time believing that any woman would want to have anything to do with your ugly mug."

"You just wait." Joey grumbled as he proceeded to pull the brunet teenager into a headlock.

Yugi, his girlfriend Anzu, Joey, Tristan, his girlfriend Shizuka, Ryuji, Ryou, and Yugi's older sister Yami were all sitting at their usual table in the cafeteria as the majority of the occupants were yammering on about how excited they all were about the upcoming Winter Formal next week. It was amusing how something that seemed so inconsequential could rouse this much of a stir. And it wasn't just the small group of friends that were getting worked up.

Aside from Senior Prom and Homecoming, the Winter Formal was the most important event that could happen in Domino High. These three dances were the unofficial measures of a student's status in the school. Everything seemed to be a competition, from the dresses the girls were going to wear to predicting who would win Snow King and Queen to who was going with whom.

Yami honestly didn't understand the appeal. It made the students at the high school go crazy for two and a half months, and it didn't seem like such a huge thing to her.

She watched her younger brother's face light up as he whispered to Ryou about the corsage he bought for Anzu to wear to the dance. She observed the slight squabble going on between Joey, Tristan, and Ryuji, who were arguing over who had the "hottest" date. Anzu and Shizuka were getting worked up over their dresses, just like the majority of girls that went to the school.

Yami swung around until her legs hung off the bench and leaned her lower back against the edge of the table, crossing her legs carefully, and bit into her already half-eaten turkey, ham, and Swiss sandwich. She scanned the remainder of the student body who strongly reminded her of honeybees for all that they seemed to vibrate and gyrate around the cafeteria.

Yami turned her head at feeling somebody tap her shoulder to see Shizuka had slid up beside her, "How about you, Yami?"

"I'm not going." She announced nonchalantly.

The entire table fell silent, as though Yami had just spoken something taboo.

"You can't be serious, Yami. You have ta go." Joey said, "It's the-"

"I don't _have_ to go. Nor do I _want _to go." Yami corrected. "It seems a waste of time."

The shock on their faces grew to horror.

Yami could sense an "intervention" coming on, and she was immensely grateful that the bell sounded an end to lunch.

"Don't worry about it, guys. I've just got better things to do." Yami said before she left them to go to her fourth period PE class.

* * *

Yugi watched his sister walk away with narrowed eyes as he tried to wrap his mind around why Yami wouldn't want to go. She went to Homecoming…although only because she had been volunteered to work the concession stand. But she went to Junior Prom…because she was the DJ.

"Is she feeling all right, Yug?" Joey wondered.

"She's just the type of girl who doesn't find dances interesting, I suppose." Yugi replied, not quite answering the initial question.

The two-minute warning bell sounded and they packed up their things and started off to their perspective fourth hour classes.

* * *

Yami placed her school uniform, backpack, and slippers into her locker and closed it before resetting the lock to keep her things protected during the class period. She turned and tapped the toe of her sneaker on the ground, thinking to herself that it would probably be a good idea to buy a new pair.

When she looked up, she found that she was blocked by three senior ladies who had borderline malicious smirks on their faces. They were Meredith Summers, Carman Letterman, and Cornelia Ramirez, the supposedly notorious "queen bees" of Domino High.

"So, we heard you weren't going to the Winter Formal." Meredith, a brunette with hazel green eyes and an hourglass figure said, "Are you simply too good to take part in our common festivities?" She wondered.

"No, it's not-"

"Or maybe you've got something more important to do?" Carman, a blonde girl who was slightly shorter than Yami, with chocolate brown eyes and freckles on her nose and cheeks added curiously.

"Look, ladies I'm going to-"

"Oh…or maybe it's the fact that nobody has asked you to go?" Cornelia, a tall, black haired girl with amber eyes and olive skin asked with a particularly nasty jibe in her words. "Sure, you may be the Duel Queen, but as a person, it seems that nobody wants anything to do with you."

Yami inwardly winced at the sting in her words, "That's not true. I've been asked a few times." She lied, "I just don't want to go."

"Ah, now why don't I believe you?" Meredith asked snidely.

Yami glared at them before shoving her way through the gap between Meredith and Cornelia, "I don't need to justify myself to you."

"Aww, is the Duel Queen going to go off and start crying?" Carman mocked.

Yami paused and turned her head back to show that her uniquely beautiful scarlet eyes were as dry as ever, "No, I'm going to class. But I will say that I feel sorry for you all. I pity that you seem to have nothing better to do than try and make other people miserable. It's quite pathetic." And with that, Yami continued out of the ladies' locker room, gathering her hair to pull into a ponytail.

* * *

"All right, students!" Mr. Gonzalez, the "boot camp instructor" at Domino High enunciated to be heard over the chattering of the teenagers. "Yes, yes I know you're all very excited about the Winter Formal, but in case you haven't noticed, ladies and gents, you have another week to go, which means here and now, you will pay attention to me." He all but bellowed as he paced in front of the single-file line of thirty-seven students. "Now, when I call out your name for role, you will say "here". Not "Yo", "Hey", "Yeah", or anything else you youngsters usually use.

"Anderson!"

"Here."

"Black!"

"Here."

And it went on.

Yami stood in her place in the line. They were assigned to stand in alphabetical order, and therefore she stood between one Jamie Morrison and…Kaiba Seto.

Yami's long-time rival, the previous Duel Monsters champion, and an everlasting pain in Yami's ass, Kaiba was as arrogant and egotistical as they come. He is the owner and CEO of a multi-billion dollar company specializing in gaming and technology, he was forever challenging Yami to everything, from Duel Monsters to Scrabble to even Twister, and every time Yami pulled out a win, Kaiba became that much more determined to defeat her in some other way.

The glint in Kaiba's eyes as he looked on at the long, thick rope that was suspended from the domed ceiling of the gymnasium told Yami loud and clear that yet another challenge was waiting in the wings.

_Shit_. Yami thought. She had never been great when it came to upper body strength, but the competitor within would push her to meet Kaiba head-on, as always.

"Mutou!"

"Here."

"Seto!"

"Here."

And on the names went until Mr. Gonzalez shouted "Zimmerman!"

"All right, then. As you all can see behind me, there is a fifty foot rope suspended from the ceiling, a bell attached to the ceiling, and three thick mats on the ground. I trust you all can figure out what you'll all be doing today. But first, give me three laps!"

Once that was finished, "Drop and give me forty."

And again, once that was finished, "Take some time to stretch while Mister Anderson goes first on the rope."

Yami slung her right arm over her chest and grabbed her wrist with her left hand and began to pull gently, mentally counting to fifteen until she reversed the stance to stretch the left arm.

"Mutou." Kaiba grumbled, "Fastest one up that rope wins."

"Why yes, Kaiba. I believe that is the concept. Good on you, Genius." Yami quipped as she brought her right arm up behind her head and used her left hand to push her elbow back until her shoulder popped and she grunted in pleasure. She repeated the motion again, and it resulted in a pop.

Kaiba growled low in his throat, "My point is that I'm challenging you."

"Of course you are, big guy." Yami replied lightly with a mocking flutter of her eyelashes, "Some guys give a girl flowers, but I find I prefer your games." She said in an elaborate Southern Belle drawl.

Behind Kaiba, Meredith scoffed, lightly, "You wouldn't know anything about that now would you, Mutou?"

Yami began stretching her calves and thighs while she turned a gimlet stare at the brunette, "Shall we add eavesdropping to your list of mannerisms that are just as pathetic as self-gratification through other people's misery?" She countered.

Unbeknownst to her, Kaiba turned at the spiteful comment to study the brunette with a frown. Where did she get off mocking his rival like that? Even Kaiba doesn't shoot that low.

But when Yami replied, Kaiba turned back and then had to look away from where Yami was crouched on the ground with one leg tucked beneath her and the other outstretched, her hands cupped around her sneaker, and her upper body arched over the extended limb.

He did _not _need to know that Yami was that flexible…

"Mutou, get on up there." Mr. Gonzalez said loudly and Yami rose up onto her feet and approached the rope. She cracked her knuckles, rolled her neck atop her shoulders, and rotated her shoulder blades before grasping the rope with both hands, "You're keeping time?" Kaiba nodded, and then Yami started climbing, wrapping her legs around the rope and interlocking her ankles while pulling herself up the length of the rope, hand-over-hand. It didn't seem to take long before she finally adjusted her grip enough to hold herself up as she reached up and rang the bell. She then started to climb back down.

"Fifty-seven seconds." Kaiba commented as she reclaimed her spot in line. "Not bad…but I can do better."

"Talk is cheap. Let me see you own up." She shot him a borderline arrogant grin that morphed into a full-blown chuckle as she heard Kaiba muttering under his breath.

She glanced at her watch and then saw out from the corner of her eye that Kaiba started pulling himself up the rope.

She kept a close eye on her watch until she heard the bell go off.

An eyebrow shot up at seeing that it's only been fifty-five seconds. "Well, it's about time."

"So?"

"Fifty-five seconds." She said, sounding slightly impressed.

Kaiba's response was similar to Yami's. One eyebrow shot up into his hairline and his cobalt eyes widened ever-so-slightly before an arrogant grin split across his face and said, "What else did you expect?"

"For you to lose…again. Well, congrats on you winning. What is that now, my 142 to your 1?"

Kaiba glared and shuffled back and forth on his feet, "I'll catch up."

"See that you do. I'd like more of a challenge from my rival."

The pair heard an audible "oof" and they both looked over to see that Meredith had just fallen on her ass and was now trying to get to her feet.

Yami's index finger touched to her lips as she tried to repress a laugh at the "queen bee" in such an undignified position.

* * *

"Yami, can I talk to you for a sec?" Anzu asked as she met up with the Game Queen in their shared sixth period Chemistry class.

"I suppose." Yami replied hesitantly.

"Yami…what is the real reason you don't want to go to the dance?"

Yami sighed at the expected question, looking exhausted, "Anzu, why is it such a huge deal to you? I'm not the only girl in this school who isn't going to the Winter Formal, so why is it such a big deal that I'm not?"

"It's not about the, dance, Yami. I'm worried that there might be another reason to why you don't want to go…something deeper?"

Yami suddenly found the teacher's desk lamp extremely riveting.

"Yami, I'm a girl too. I can tell there's something else going on." Anzu pressed lightly, not wanting to make the other feel any more uncomfortable than she already was.

Yami sighed as she moved her attention to the pattern of the tile on the ground near her feet, "Don't be ridiculous, Anzu. I'm fine."

"Look me in the eyes and say that."

Yami looked her square in the eye and repeated, "I'm fine."

Anzu's eyes started to water slightly at seeing the other girl's mask slip slightly to see the momentary pain in those scarlet eyes.

She wanted to demand answers, but she knew that Yami was just like Yugi…on steroids. When something is bothering either of the siblings, they close up and pretend everything is okay with them. She could usually worm an answer out of her boyfriend, but Yugi's sister was an entirely different person. She was confident, strong-willed, stubborn, and she could lie through her teeth if she has to to keep people out of her mind.

"Well, if you ever want to talk about it, I'll listen."

"Thank you Anzu." Yami replied as she slid into her seat and proceeded to block Anzu out of her notice.

* * *

Kaiba Seto had a dilemma on his hands.

He had been nominated for Snow King…and competition was encrusted into the young CEO's DNA. The problem was that he hadn't been planning on going. It was a frivolous event and a complete waste of his time.

Accepting the nomination was mandatory, not through the school or student body, but rather through Kaiba's own code of conduct. If one challenges Kaiba to anything, no matter what that challenge might be, Kaiba was required to meet it head-on.

Now that Kaiba concluded that he had to be at that fucking dance, there was one more problem to consider…a date.

It was already too late to have his pick of the litter, since all the females Kaiba would think to take had already been asked already. He was now limited to the runts of the student body. He had his choice of the drama club members, one particularly gothic girl, a pockmarked, robust redhead named Justine, and two science geeks. None of these choices seemed right, and they would never guarantee him the Snow King title.

_I cannot believe I just thought that…_

Kaiba sat at his large mahogany desk in his home study trying to get his work done but failing in that endeavor. He stood and paced the floor, his hands clasped behind his back as he considered his options on potential dates to the Winter Formal.

So far, Kaiba had come down to Morgan, a drama girl who played Ophelia in the last school production who was tall, slender, and had honey blonde hair and jade green eyes. Her only flaw was that she had a nasally quality to her particularly high pitched voice that grated on Kaiba's nerves. Justine wasn't a bad choice either, aside from her appearance…but there were ways around that. And his third option was a tall, reed thin science geek named Claire who had constant oily mouse brown hair and almond-shaped gold-green eyes. He could focus on those for the night…they weren't exactly unpleasant to look at.

Kaiba growled low in his throat, thoroughly exasperated at having such low quality choices.

There was a slight knock at his door before it was cracked open to reveal his little brother Mokuba on the other side, "Onii-sama, I can hear you pacing all the way to my room. Is something wrong with Kaiba Corp. again?"

Kaiba shook his head, frowning when Mokuba vaguely referred to the recent flood of disturbances toward his company in the last year or so. "No, it has nothing to do about the company."

"Then what's got you so worked up?"

Kaiba growled as he continued hitting dead-ends in his mind, "I've been nominated for Snow King," He growled a little more viciously at the thousandth reference to a title that should mean nothing to him. "But I don't have a date and all the girls left have much to be desired."

Mokuba scrunched his nose up at his older brother's callousness, but he had gotten used to Kaiba's coldness towards most people, "Huh? Then don't go to the dance. Who cares about some stupid title?"

Kaiba thought it was ironic that his little brother repeated his earlier sentiment, "It's a challenge, Mokuba. You know I never back down from any challenge."

"True. All right, can you take a girl not attending Domino High?"

"No."

"Ah..." Mokuba wrinkled his forehead in concentration, and then his expression lit up like a lightbulb being switched on, "How about Yami? Does she have a date?"

Kaiba stopped dead as he considered this.

She would be ideal. She was a beautiful girl…from a rational point of view she was considered beautiful, of course.

She was a bit of a tomboy, and when she wasn't playing any games she was a bit awkward in social situations, but she definitely had the looks that Kaiba needed to have the advantage of winning Snow King. _Ugh, I did it again._

Kaiba missed the mischievous glint in Mokuba's eyes as well as an accompanying grin on his face in light of this revelation.

* * *

The following Monday, Kaiba tracked Yami to the cafeteria, where she sat at her usual table with her younger brother and their little gang of dweebs. She had been absent from school since Thursday because of a minor case of pinkeye.

"Mutou." He called out, and two sets of jewel-colored eyes swung toward Kaiba. He gestured for Yami to come with him, and she simple narrowed her eyes and frowned at him. "I need to talk to you." He announced.

When Yami finally stood and started over toward him, Kaiba took a moment to gauge his assets.

Domino's girl uniform was an ensemble of a pink over coat, blue skirt, white blouse, and blue bow tie. Yami, however, swung to a more unique style of uniform. She wore a blue necktie loosely around her neck, ditched the pink jacket and wore only the white blouse that was tucked into the waistband of her skirt, which she wore with black spandex, mid-thigh leggings underneath. The top of her head reached Kaiba's shoulder, and she had a slender build that leaned more to the side of athletic, although she did have a few gentle curves in the right places. With her shirt tucked in, it accentuated her modest breasts and hugged her sides to perfection. She had long, slender arms and legs, both possessed noticeable muscles made from the sports she's played.

She had light tawny-gold skin, her hair was a unique mixture of raven black waves, golden-blonde bangs, and crimson-tipped at the ends. She wore it long and heavily layered so that it gave the impression of fluid waves gliding down her back. She had it pulled up into a high ponytail. Her best quality, however, were her eyes. They were a peculiar shade of crimson with lighter flecks of red that gave them the appearance of burning scarlet. Slender brows curved gracefully and thick, black lashes brought out those eyes to exquisite perfection.

"So…talk already. I'm hungry." She prompted as she rolled her hand to motion for him to get on with what he had to say.

How does one ask a girl to a dance? This would be his first time trying, and he wasn't sure how to go about this correctly. He had known this stubborn girl for going on five years now, and he knew that should she take offense to something, she'll shut you out.

"Do you have a date to the Winter Formal?" He opted for the curious approach.

Yami quirked an eyebrow, crossed her arms, and Kaiba had to mentally demand he keep his eyes on Yami's face.

"No…" She drew out, seemingly suspicious.

"Then…would you consider going with me?"

Now Yami's eyebrows all but disappeared into her hairline. Of all the things she probably had expected, Kaiba knew from her reaction that Yami did not expect that.

"No." Yami finally replied.

* * *

_Why now, Kaiba Seto? Of all the times to ask, you ask me a week prior to the event? Damn you to hell!_

"Look, whatever this is about, I'm not going to the dance, so you're off the hook. Whatever bet or challenge that you've accepted, rest assured that you won't have to degrade yourself by going with me to this dance.

"Wait just a second, I-"

"No. I'm not a pity date. I won't accept being table scraps." She pressed one index finger into Kaiba's shoulder. "You of all people should know that I am the main course."

_Why are we likening this conversation to dinner courses?_ "I-"

"Enough, Kaiba." She silenced him with a harsh glare, "I don't want to hear another word out of you."

With that, Yami walked over to her table, gathered her things, and stalked out of the cafeteria. A disapproving amethyst glare followed Kaiba as he followed after her, and Yugi leapt up out of his seat and placed himself in front of the towering brunet.

"Whatever you have to say to my sister is done, Kaiba Seto." He announced with a fierce scowl that did not belong on his cherubic features, but to his stubborn sister's sharp, elfin ones. "Now, leave her be."

Kaiba growled low in frustration before detouring away from the aggravating teenager.

* * *

Yami went home early that day, not feeling up to reliving the humiliation of what had happened between Kaiba and her at lunch. Yugi and Yami's grandfather was out of the house, thankfully, when she arrived home, and she went immediately up to her bedroom.

It was a small room, with modest furnishing of a full-sized bed with an ornately decorated headboard that looked like an olive branch, a nightstand with a small lamp with a dome-shaped lampshade, a five-drawer dresser, a closet, and a small half bathroom that connected her and Yugi's bedrooms. A Macbook laptop lay closed on her bed, above the burgundy and gold color scheme of her bedding. The blankets looked a little mussed from Yami rushing through making her bed, but the cream-colored carpet was spotless. She put her backpack on top of her dresser, kicked off her shoes, undid her necktie before letting it fall onto the nightstand, and then plopped down on her bed, mindful to not lie on her computer.

"Damn you." She murmured as she closed her eyes to try and keep in the moisture that was beginning to prickle at the back of her eyes and making it difficult to see clearly.

She hadn't been aware that she had fallen asleep until she felt a hand gently shaking her shoulder and she groaned as she slowly regained consciousness.

Yugi stood beside her bed with one knee propped up on her bed so that he didn't have to lean too far over for him to reach his sister.

"Hey, you okay sis?" He asked quietly, his hand continuing to stay on Yami's shoulder as his thumb lightly brushed across the skin there.

"Give me a sec and then ask me again." She replied as she rolled onto her back and tossed an arm over her eyes, "What time is it?" She asked, noting the near darkness that began flooding her bedroom before she had blinded herself.

"Quarter to seven." He replied. "I would've woken you sooner had I known you were actually sleeping."

"Don't worry about it." She responded.

She sat up and then brushed the back of her hand across her eyes to erase all evidence of her near weakness earlier that afternoon. She just hoped that he would mistake the redness in her eyes for exhaustion.

"Is Grandpa home yet?"

"No, he left a message on the machine saying that he would be meeting an old friend for dinner tonight and wouldn't be back until after nine or so."

"Have you eaten anything?"

Yugi shook his head, "Not yet."

"All right." She murmured as she stood and walked out of her bedroom and down the hall toward the kitchen. She started scouring for what she could cook, and found some defrosted ground beef in the refrigerator. She took it out and then looked in the cupboards for the Hamburger Helper Stroganoff and proceeded to make it, heating up some once-frozen peas to go with it.

"Yami?" Yugi called out cautiously, "What happened today between you and Kaiba?" He asked.

Yami had known that question would come up; she just wished it hadn't been this soon.

"He asked me to the dance."

Yugi was confused. "But isn't that a good thing?"

"Sure, in a different situation perhaps, but not when one has had seven weeks worth of time to ask and only now offers." Yami replied as she continued stirring the mixture of meat, noodles, mushrooms, milk, and seasonings in the medium-sized skillet.

"I don't know, he wouldn't do anything that he didn't want to. Not even if he was challenged to do so." Yugi responded. "Maybe he just didn't know how to ask you until now?"

Yami turned to look at Yugi for a moment as though the boy had just grown a second head, "Where have you been? Remember the time when those Rare Hunters kidnapped Mokuba to force him to duel with them?"

"Yes, but Mokuba had been in danger. I highly doubt that anyone is holding something that influential over his head, just to force him to go to the dance with you." Yugi reasoned.

"Maybe…but still, why now? It's not like we haven't seen each other in those seven weeks."

"Yami, for a genius you sure can be stupid sometimes." Yugi commented lightly. "He's the CEO of an entire company and more than likely didn't even know he would be going to the dance until today." He suggested.

Yami remained silent as she stirred the food, turning that thought over in her mind. It wasn't an inconceivable notion; Kaiba often was rather unpredictable about what he does with his time.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, smiling bitterly at her own rash conclusions.

"Jeez, I should probably quit being so emotional." She murmured.

"Maybe it's not too late to apologize to him? Maybe you can still go with him?"

Yami paused and thought. She had been rather forward in her refusal, but then Kaiba was often as stubborn as most people claim Yami to be. But factor in the man's pride…if Yami did call him and told him that she reconsidered, would he overlook her kneejerk reaction?

"Give it a shot." Yugi urged, and if Yami didn't know better, she'd wonder if Yugi was telepathic.

"Watch this for a minute then." She said as she went toward the living room where the phone was.

* * *

How could she say no? To him? He was Kaiba Seto!

He ran the scene in his mind over and over again, trying to figure out what might have triggered her to say that.

"_I'm the main course, not table scraps." _Or something similar.

He supposed that it was a little late in coming, but did that justify her accusing him of asking her out because of a bet or some sort?

His cell phone began vibrating against his hip and he pulled it from his pocket and flipped it open without looking at the I.D.

"What is it?" He snapped.

"Is that how you always answer the phone?" Came Yami's medium alto voice through the receiver.

"So what if I do?" He replied gruffly, "What do you want Mutou? Make it quick, because I-"

"A busy man, yeah yeah." Yami cut him off, "So I'll make this quick. I've been thinking about your offer this afternoon, and I believe I may have overreacted a bit."

"Might have?" Kaiba scoffed. "You bit my head off."

"Yes, well. The reason I'm calling is that if the offer still stands, I'd like to go to the Winter Formal with you."

For a moment, Kaiba was rendered speechless. He pulled the phone away from his ear to check the caller I.D. just to make sure that it really was Yami calling him. _Yep, it's her. _"I suppose you should be grateful that I'm in a forgiving mood, Mutou." He finally replied.

"Well then, I suppose I'll let you go back to your work." Yami responded with a noticeable trace of amusement in her tone. "Good night, Kaiba."

* * *

"So?" Yugi goaded as Yami returned to take over the skillet.

"I suppose I should probably look into getting a dress, hmm?"

Yugi's face brightened immediately.

* * *

Yami couldn't believe what she had gotten herself into. She could easily strangle Yugi at this point for this…

Yami stood in the dressing room at the local JC Pennies as Anzu and Shizuka were practically burying Yami underneath a mountain of ball gowns.

"Hey, that's enough already-oof" She was cut off by a yellow number that hit her in the face. "I'm not wearing that." She said drily as she threw the offensive dress back over the railing of the closed fitting room curtain.

She took a moment to hang the dresses up before inspecting each one with a critical eye. Oh, how she loathed wearing dresses, but she supposed that she could suffer through this one night, as long as she could burn it afterward.

She started with a deep green, strapless, knee-length dress with jeweled embroidery in the bodice and a black silk sash around the waist. She stepped into the material and pulled it up her body before zipping up the back and tying the sash.

"Ugh, no." She murmured, and then she tossed the curtain aside to show the other two girls, as was ordered by her "beloved" little brother.

"_I know how you are, Yami, so you have to get their opinion on the dresses."_

Way to throw her under the bus.

But thankfully Anzu and Shizuka didn't seem too thrilled over it either.

"It doesn't compliment your skin tone." Anzu mumbled under her breath.

"The bodice looks a tad too tight around her chest." Shizuka added in an equally quiet voice.

Next she tried a floor length dark violet dress that was made of satin and had "foofy" shoulder straps. Yami liked the color, but the shoulders were not working for her. Again, she opened the curtain to show the other girls.

Anzu twirled her finger around and Yami obediently turned to show her the back.

"It's cute, but it doesn't quite fit her personality." Shizuka commented toward Anzu.

They shook their heads in unison and Yami tried again.

She tried on a pale blue floor length dress that was layered in the skirt. It made Yami look similar to a marshmallow.

The girls made Yami try the yellow dress, a cocktail style dress that had spaghetti straps and a white sash. Yami thought it was deplorable. Something made for a girl half her age, and accompanied by puppies and parasols.

Anzu noticeably grimaced, but Shizuka gave a short spat of chuckles, "She looks adorable." Shizuka said to Yami's immense discomfort. "Aw, she's blushing."

"Yeah, it is cute, but no." Anzu allowed, and Yami sighed in relief.

After many hours of the tortuous procedure of Anzu and Shizuka searching for suitable dresses and Yami trying and hating each one, Yami had enough and while the other girls were off looking, Yami spotted one that even a tomboy like her thought was breathtaking.

She slipped into the dress and when the girls came back, she opened the curtain, and the dresses that Shizuka and Anzu had draped over their arms dropped to the ground as the two stared with wide eyes and opened mouths.

"Yes."

* * *

Kaiba scowled fiercely at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he clutched the sides of the counter and tried to make sense of why he would…dare he even think it?...feel nervous. He had just been through an hour on ministrations that included a half-hour shower, fifteen minutes trying to figure out what he should do with his hair, and another fifteen minutes spent brushing his teeth, shaving, and dabbed on a bit of his cologne to mix with his aftershave.

He swore he was acting worse than a nervous tween girl going on her first date or something similar.

He spent fifteen minutes trying and discarding several different suits. He finally settled for a medium blue, silk, button down shirt, black, tailored pinstriped slacks, a black necktie, and he slicked his hair back and out of his eyes.

He left in the limousine at six-fifteen and gave Roland directions to Yami's grandfather's house.

They had reservations of dinner before the dance, as was traditional for events such as the Winter Formal.

It wasn't long at all before the limo pulled up in front of the Mutou house.

Yami must've been waiting by the window or something because Kaiba had barely stepped out from the limo when the front door opened and Kaiba had to mentally remind himself how to breathe. He blinked several times trying to figure if what was in front of him was real or imaginary.

_That couldn't be…_"Yami?" He called out, sounding uncertain even to his own years.

"Do you seriously have to ask me that, Kaiba?"

God, she was gorgeous.

She stood in the illuminated doorway of her house, wear a glorious scarlet, strapless gown. The skirt was pinned up so that it lay just about mid-thigh beside her right leg and the left side trailed down her left leg to fall to her calf. The material accentuated her luscious skin tone and brought out the color of her eyes to ultimate perfection. Her hair was done up in an immaculate collection of curls and pins atop her head, a few tendrils fell away from the cluster to curve around her face and neck. She wore an amethyst jeweled necklace and matching earrings…_She had pierced ears?_ She had a scarlet half mask on her face that covered on the top half of her face and punctuated her eyes perfectly.

Kaiba forced himself to move toward the vision that seemed to be the embodiment of fire and light.

He offered Yami his arm and escorted her to the limo.

Sitting next to her, looking like that, Kaiba could hardly think, could hardly breathe. _What was it about dresses that brought out a woman's full beauty?_

He flitted his thumb across the tips of his fingers on both hands in a nervous gesture. He didn't feel quite himself when he was this unsettled.

Yami could feel her heart pounding away in her chest so fast and hard that she could swear that it would bruise her ribcage. She felt light-headed as she sat beside her long time rival who was now beginning to stir emotions within her that she hadn't known she could even feel. And from Kaiba Seto of all people?

It wasn't like this was the first time Yami had seen Kaiba dressed up, or really dressed down compared to some of the outfits he wears to work. So why was it when she saw him standing on her doorstep did she feel…bubbly? Like a flustered, awkward mass of hormones that threatened to drag her into a fit of nervous giggling and flirtatious gestures. God forbid Yami even do either of those.

She looked out from the corner of her eyes to see Kaiba all but gawking at her. She swallowed silently against the tightness in her chest, and clenched one fist in the folds of her skirt as she turned to meet him eye-to-eye.

They sat in silence, drinking in the appearance of the other. Yami hadn't quite noticed how blue Kaiba's eyes were. Or the shallow scar that ran into his hairline at his temple. Or that he had a set of the softest, most delicate lips she had ever seen, and wondered for a moment if they felt as soft as they appeared.

Yami mentally slapped herself for that train of thought.

Kaiba Seto was her rival, they were simply going to a formal ball at their school together…for reasons Yami still couldn't quite understand. That was all they were doing. There should be any delusions of kissing or anything further that couples did.

_After tonight, everything will go back to the way it was. _Yami reminded herself, and immediately she felt slightly sad at the thought.

Kaiba kept sneaking glances at Yami all through dinner. They ate at Kaiba's favorite Italian style restaurant, and were indulging in spats of conversation every now and again. At one point, an older couple passed by their table, crossing behind Yami so she didn't see the approving smile on their faces as the couple looked at them.

He was half expecting someone to recognize them. The Duel Queen and her number one rival eating dinner together as though this was a date of some sort.

At quarter to eight, they were back in the limo and heading to the school.

Halfway to Domino High, Yami leaned experimentally into Kaiba's side, and he instinctively raised his arm to drape over her shoulders. It felt almost surreal, being like this. To forget who they were for a night, just to spend an evening together without cameras, paparazzi, and audiences getting in the mix. Just spending time with a beautiful woman…

Kaiba's fingers closed around a tendril of tri-colored hair and he twirled it between his thumb and index finger as his arm tightened around Yami and pulled her closer to him.

* * *

Yami fidgeted as she felt the eyes on her.

_Who is she?_

_How does she know Kaiba?_

_Why is she lucky enough to be his date?_

It's not like she changed that much, had she? It's a dress, that's all. She was still the same person that was mocked by the queen bees and looked up to by the freshmen and admired by her duel fans.

Kaiba led her through the throng of people, both most likely feeling rather awkward. They didn't know what to do now.

They stood off to the side for the first half hour, just watching people as they conversed and danced. Kaiba went off once to get them something to drink.

Yugi came over once to compliment his sister, since he had left around four that afternoon to go to Joey's house to get ready and hadn't seen Yami when she changed and after their grandmother finished poking and prodding at her head.

Joey and Tristan both gave wolf whistles at Yami, earning a glare from their perspective dates and from Kaiba, although his went unnoticed by Yami.

A slow-paced Latin tune came on the speakers and Yami's eyes lit up for a moment, before she grabbed Kaiba's hand and all but dragged him onto the dance floor.

"I challenge you to a dance off, Kaiba Seto." She announced as they neared the center of the floor.

At her words, Kaiba's face split with a smirk, "Is that right? How will this work?"

"First one to trip up, slow up, or tire in any way loses."

Kaiba gave a single chuckle before one hand snaked around Yami's waist and the other took her hand and tugged her flush against his body, "I accept." He replied as he started leading her through a tango.

They moved in fluid unison, Yami in borderline submissive grace while Kaiba commanded the dance floor with his impeccable moves.

Yami closed her eyes after the first few seconds, feeling the music coursing through her veins like fire. She and Kaiba circled each other, never once breaking contract with their hands.

At one point, Yami hooked her leg around Kaiba's and brought her leg up high into the air before it hooked around his waist and he guided her upper body down in an arch. Yami unhooked her legs and allowed Kaiba to thread her around his body like one would dribble a basketball behind their back. Once again on her feet, they continued their dance until the music stopped and changed to a techno pop tune.

Yami finally detached her hand from Kaiba's and she did a hip-hop style that Kaiba watched with appreciation. Her body was like water as she moved, and then Kaiba was there, behind her, as he followed her, so perfectly as though they had previously coordinated the dance. Face-to-face, the two pressed their hands together before pushed away from each other, and they began a lovely dance that looked similar to a game of cat-and-mouse, Kaiba was the predator, Yami the prey, one evading the other while the other tried anticipating the moves of the first to counter.

The next song was a slow song. Kaiba and Yami paused for a moment before Kaiba pulled Yami into his arms and they swayed to the music.

Yami's head rested against Kaiba's chest and she could hear his heart pounding beneath the skin. She vaguely wondered if it was from exertion, or for a different reason. He felt solid and warm against her. She sighed silently and closed her eyes.

Kaiba liked how Yami felt as he held her in his arms. He had been pleasantly surprised at Yami's skill in dancing. She had been breathtaking as she moved through the tango, and he had felt a stirring inside him that was not quite lust but something similar. The scent of juniper oil and lily flooded his senses, and he found himself taking a deep breath to drink in more of the delectably unique smell that was Yami.

The next song was also a slow song.

Kaiba lowered his head slightly to rest his lips against the top of Yami's head. Her hair was so soft, like the purest silk, and smell faintly of citrus shampoo. He let his eyes drift shut and blocked out all except the woman in his arms.

* * *

"Now, if I may have everyone's attention, it's time for the announcement of this year's Snow King and Queen." Miss Kurasaki, the vice principal of Domino High School spoke into the microphone, startling Yami and Kaiba out of their reverie.

They had long since stopped worrying about the dance competition, although neither one had slipped up once the entire time…especially since the majority of songs were slow ones.

"Thank you." She said as the gymnasium fell silent and all eyes were on the teacher. "This year's Snow King is…" She trailed off as she opened the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper inside. "Kaiba Seto."

Yami was shocked, Kaiba stiffened slightly. He reluctantly extracted himself from Yami to go up on stage where Kaiba was given a plastic crown and sash and trophy.

* * *

"Really," She whispered to herself, "That's why you asked me?"

Yami turned and strode from the gymnasium before she embarrassed herself by becoming a blubbering mess.

All this time, this evening had all been a means to win some stupid title?

Yami hadn't gotten far. A pair of large, strong hands grabbed her shoulders and tugged her around to face them. Kaiba's cobalt eyes met hers, like fire and ice brought into perfect harmony. Kaiba noted the moisture at the corners of Yami's eyes, could see the slight wrinkling of the flesh between her eyebrows as they quivered slightly from repressing her betrayal.

"You used me…for a title?" She questioned quietly, not quite trusting her voice to stay even if she spoke any louder. "This whole night was nothing but a lie."

"No, Yami. It started that way, yes, but-"

"Why?" She cut him off, become angry.

Kaiba sighed, "Look Yami, you know me. I'm a competitor by blood; I can't back down from a challenge. Yes, when I heard I was a nominee for Snow King, I asked you so that it might boost my chances of winning." He tightened his grip on Yami's shoulders so she couldn't turn away and he gripped her chin in one hand, "But something changed tonight, Yami. I don't know what it was, but I felt like I couldn't care less about some title. I learned who lies beneath the outer shell that you use to keep everyone else out. I saw who you really are, Yami, and I don't regret the events that led up to my learning this." He explained.

Yami sighed, albeit shakily, and looked Kaiba in the eyes, knowing that there would be more.

"Yami, this has been one of the best nights of my life. I will never be able to look at you the same way as I did yesterday…Yami I…" Kaiba didn't know how to say the words correctly, so he showed her.

Slowly, to give her time to either pull away or stay still, Kaiba lowered his head until his lips gently brushed across Yami's. His hand snuck around her waist and he pulled her closer, cupping her face with the other as he kissed her with heat and passion and tenderness and desire, all mixed into one. It made Yami melt, and Kaiba tightened his arms to support her as her legs began to tremble.

"Yo, this is still school property. No PDA allowed."

Hearing this, as well as the not-so-subtle throat clearing, Kaiba and Yami broke off the kiss and swung their heads around to see Yugi and company about five feet from them. Tristan had been the one to speak.

Joey covered his eyes dramatically with one hand, "Oh gah, I think I've gone blind!"

As Kaiba glared daggers at the intruders, Yami chuckled slightly under her breath.

Although everything else seemed the same as before, tonight was the beginning of something new for the arch-rivals. She didn't know yet, but as the Game Queen, she was definitely up to the challenge of what might lie ahead.


End file.
